Interchangeable Shoe Attachment

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to footwear, particularly to a woman&#39;s shoe fitted with interchangeable attachments.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to footwear, particularly to a woman's shoe fitted with interchangeable attachments.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

People, mainly women, generally tend to prefer, purchase and wear fashionable attire. Fashion dictates that a woman's outfit coordinates with her other belongings such as handbag and shoes. Purchasing a large variety of shoes to complete a matching ensemble for each outfit in her wardrobe is extremely costly for most women. Furthermore, since shoe fashions rapidly change, there is an ever present need to update the shoe wardrobe to complement the clothing wardrobe. Prevailing economic conditions demand conservation and reuseable goods.

US 20040064976 (Barteet) describes an interchangeable shoe ensemble which includes a base member, or sole, having snaps secured along its periphery and positioned for snap fitting engagement with corresponding snaps on a removable strap.

US 20100199521 (Katz) describes a shoe or sandal with a transparent plastic film visible display permanent pouch or detachable showcase, constructed to receive, retain and display interchangeable inserts.

However, none of the prior art discloses a shoe attachment that is readily and easily fitted, economical, aesthetic and colour or fashion coordinated.

It is an object of the invention to provide a shoe attachment which may be readily or easily fitted and also colour or fashion coordinated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an article for footwear comprising:

a base member;

a sole member recessed into the top of the base; and

an attachment member wherein the base member consists of tracks along the length of the base to allow the attachment to be fitted in between the base and the sole.

Preferably, the attachment member is interchangeable and easily slides into the tracks.

Preferably, the attachment is fashion and/or colour coordinated with attire and/or shoes and/or handbag.

Preferably, the attachment includes an upper portion which is fashion and/or colour coordinated with attire and/or shoes and/or handbag.

Preferably, the article further comprises accessories selected from straps, belts, bows and the like.

Preferably, the base, sole and attachment are colour coordinated.

Preferably, the article further comprises a heel member.

Preferably, the article further comprises a slot member to allow the attachment to easily slide into the shoe.

Preferably, the attachment comprises an L-shaped member to assist in keeping the attachment secure in the base and sole components of the shoe.

Preferably, the attachment comprises a T-shaped member to assist in keeping the attachment secure in the base components of the shoe.

Preferably, the attachment and the upper portion are preferably made from material such as vinyl, rubber, leather, other synthetic materials and the like.

Preferably, the tracks are about 10-20 cm in length, about 4-6 mm wide, and 4-6 mm in depth.

Preferably, the attachment is about 145 mm in length, 18 mm in height, 1-4mm depth, 1-2 mm thick at above track section, and 3-5 mm at insertion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A brief description of the figures follows:

FIG. 1 illustrates the shoe base, sole and attachment as an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a track portion as an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates the shoe sole component as an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the attachment as an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an article of footwear comprising a base, an inner sole portion attached to the base and an attachment which may be fashion coordinated with articles of wear. The base contains a track portion along the length of the base to enable the attachment to easily slide into the base portion.

FIG. 1 illustrates the shoe base (1), inner sole (2) and attachment (3) as an embodiment of the present invention. The sole is designed to fit over the base. The base of the shoe is recessed to accommodate the sole and to allow the attachment to slide into the tracks. Preferably, the base comprises tracks (4) to enable easy and convenient changing and fitting of the attachment. The attachment slides into the tracks (4) between the sole and the base. Preferably, the tracks (4) are configured to receive and retain the end portion of the attachment. The sole (2) preferably comprises an entry slot member (6) that provides a leading angle to assist in the easy entry of the attachment (3).

Preferably, the shoe comprises a lip at the back of the base to allow the sole to fit in level with the base.

Pressure applied by the foot assists in holding all of the members of the shoe intact. Hence, the attachment is not easily dislodged accidentally or detached from the shoe.

The attachment may be removed or interchanged by lifting the end portion of the attachment, and sliding it back to the top portion of the track near the slot (6) which is slightly larger to enable easy release. The preferred method to replace or release the attachment is by sliding back to the top of the tracks.

The sole member may be secured to the base by some form of adhesive means such as glue. The sole may also be stitched to the base. Preferably, the sole is glued around the front and back to the base. The shoe is level at top end wherein the sole is fitted in place. The track portion remains open and is not glued.

FIG. 2 illustrates the tracks as an embodiment of the present invention. Preferably, the tracks (4) are positioned along the length of the base. Preferably, the tracks are about 10-20 cm in length depending on the size of the shoe and about 4-6 mm wide, and 4-6 mm in depth.

FIG. 3 illustrates the shoe sole component as an embodiment of the present invention. The slot member (6) allows the attachment (3) to easily slide in between the sole and base of the shoe.

FIG. 4 illustrates the attachment as an embodiment of the present invention. The attachment needs to fit perfectly into the tracks.

In one embodiment, the tracks are of sufficient length, width and depth to allow the attachment to slide through and be retained comfortably within the sole and the shoe base.

Preferably, the attachment is about 145 mm in length, depending of the shoe size, about 4-6 mm wide and about 4-6 mm in depth.

In a preferred embodiment, attachment (3) comprises a base member (7) containing two sections of straps (8) and (9) at about 10 mm apart from the centre.

In one embodiment, the attachment is colour coordinated with the attire and/or other accessories worn or carried by the user.

In another embodiment, the attachment including the straps are joined to an upper portion which is colour coordinated with the attire and/or other accessories worn or carried by the user.

Preferably, the attachment (3) is about 145 mm in length, 18 mm in height, 1-4 mm depth, 1-2 mm thick at above track section, and 3-5 mm at insertion.

The attachment slides into the two tracks along the length of the shoe at the two sides to provide a comfortable and secure fit.

Preferably, the attachment comprises an L-shaped member (10) to assist in keeping the attachment (3) secure in the base and sole components of the shoe. The member (10) forms the end portion of the attachment. In use, the attachment slides into the shoe into the tracks, the L-portion fits into the end of the tracks and slides down to the bottom of tracks.

In another embodiment, in the event the base is made from synthetic material such as polyurethane and the like, or a softer material, a moulded track may be inserted during the manufacturing process to ensure that the attachment has a strong solid track to utilize. The moulded track is preferably L-shaped or T-shaped.

The shoe according to one embodiment of the present invention, “Cinful Shoe™ ” is a ladies shoe which is designed to allow for a common shoe base sole with any number of easily attachable uppers of different styles and colours (continually updated to stay abreast of fashion trends) to be attached and detached at will.

The point of difference with any other such concept available is the method of attaching the Uppers to the base of the shoe. The unique design of the Cinful Shoe™ utilizes custom designed tracks to be placed in the base of the shoe during the manufacturing phase. The tracks, in combination with a solid under sole between the innersole and the base of the shoe, allows for a flexible attachment or slider to be inserted along the edge of the shoe allowing the uppers to be held firmly in place. These flexible sliders are attached to all of the various upper designs which allow a simple, fast and very secure method on exchanging any number of uppers as needed.

Shoes with interchangeable members or attachments are desirable for allowing a single pair of shoes to be modified with various styles and colors so that they match multiple outfits. This type of interchangeable attachments would save the owner a tremendous and considerable amount of money over the years, especially if new members matching the latest fashions were manufactured to fit the same base pair of shoes.

In addition to being costly, an updated shoe wardrobe can be hard to transport if one is traveling on business or vacation. In order to dress fashionably, women tend to travel with a different pair of shoes for each outfit that has been packed. Not only would shoes with interchangeable members save the owner vast amounts of money, but they could also eliminate the need to pack and transport multiple pairs of shoes during travel.

The base of the shoe is preferably made of material such as rubber, plastic and the like.

The inner sole component is preferably made from material such as cellulosic paper board or synthetic non woven insole board, leather, synthetic, plastic and the like.

The attachment and the upper portion are preferably made from material such as vinyl, rubber, leather, other synthetic materials and the like.

The attachment and/or the upper portion may be fitted with additional components or members selected from a variety of designs and colours, particularly those designs and colours which will fashion coordinate with the rest of the attire. The additional components include straps, laces, strings and the like.

The shoe types include formal and casual footwear such as shoes with or without heels, sling back, platform, athletic, mules and the like.

While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features of this invention, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiment without departing from the principles of the invention. These and other modifications in the nature of the invention or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the invention and not as a limitation. 

1. An article for footwear comprising: a base member; a sole member recessed into the top of the base; and an attachment member wherein the base member comprises tracks along the length of the base to allow the attachment to be fitted in between the base and the sole.
 2. The article according to claim 1 wherein the attachment member is interchangeable and easily slides into the tracks.
 3. The article according to claim 1 wherein the attachment is fashion and/or colour coordinated with an attire and/or shoes and/or handbag.
 4. The article according to claim 3 wherein the attachment includes an upper portion which is fashion and/or colour coordinated with an attire and/or shoes and/or handbag.
 5. The article according to claim 1 further comprising accessories selected from straps, belts, bows and the like.
 6. The article according to claim 5 wherein the base, sole and attachment are colour coordinated.
 7. The article according to claim 6 further comprising a heel member.
 8. The article according to claim 1 further comprising a slot member to allow the attachment to easily slide into the shoe.
 9. The article according to claim 1 wherein the attachment comprises an L-shaped member to assist in keeping the attachment secure in the base and sole components of the shoe.
 10. The article according to claim 1 wherein the attachment comprises a T-shaped member to assist in keeping the attachment secure in the base components of the shoe.
 11. The article according to claim 1 wherein the attachment and the upper portion are made from material comprising vinyl, rubber, leather, or other synthetic materials.
 12. The article according to claim 1 wherein the tracks are about 10-20 cm in length, about 4-6 mm wide, and 4-6 mm in depth.
 13. The article according to claim 1 wherein the attachment is about 145 mm in length, 18 mm in height, 1-4mm depth, 1-2 mm thick at track section, and wherein the attachment comprises an end portion that is 3-5 mm at insertion.
 14. (canceled)
 15. The article according to claim 1, wherein the tracks are moulded.
 16. The article according to claim 15, wherein the base comprises a synthetic material.
 17. The article according to claim 16, wherein the synthetic material comprises polyurethane.
 18. The article according to claim 15, wherein the moulded tracks are inserted into the base during manufacturing of the article.
 19. The article according to claim 15, wherein the moulded tracks are L-shaped.
 20. The article according to claim 15, wherein the moulded tracks are T-shaped. 